Thursday, September 2, 2010

Breaking Fast

To me, breaking fast after a whole day of fasting especially in Ramadhan is not only a blessing, but is also an event, a memory which I cherished so much that I'll always want to celebrate it with my family, and the people I love. It had become a meal that I look forward for, not just to eat but as a family gathering. A daily blessed, sweet family gathering.

At home, we practise eating together, as in having dinners usually, (as almost everyone is home then) together on one table. And breaking fast together is an even more anticipated moment. When I was smaller, I used to sit in front of the TV with my siblings, and each of us will have our own glass of water in hand. As soon as the Azan heard, we recited Doa and drink, together. It was almost like a game to us, doing it synchronously. After that we will all rush to the dining table for real meal. Now, we don't sit with glasses in our hands anymore but rather just rush to the dining table once the Azan is heard. But it is still fun.

Makan! Makan! :)

The dishes are always good, Alhamdulillah. And this one whole month of Ramadhan is the only time we will have sweet drinks everyday without fail. During normal dinners, all of us drink only plain water, unless either one of us felt extra hardworking and decided to make us a drink or, my mother instructed us to. :p
It is a celebration, yes it is. Breaking fast with beloved ones to me, is a daily celebration which I'll never get bored of.

Celebrating our success of refraining ourselves from doing certain things for one whole day, with family is truly a blessing. I regard breaking fast highly, not for the eating part but for the being TOGETHER part. And another family tradition is, we will go to relatives' houses for break fast. And we will all bring our own dishes. It's not exactly like a potluck, the host will prepare the main dish, drinks etc. Guests will bring whatever they wanna bring; fruits, desert, ice creams, cakes, whatever they can grab from their houses, or supermarket, just as a matter of courtesy. It's okay not to bring anything at all but, it feels better when other people eat what we brought.

Years ago, we had this Grand Break Fast with my 3 uncles and they decided to eat in an Arab restaurant. :) What an experience! Imagine little kids (3 uncles with 4 kids each) running around, adults catching up with each other, roaring into laughters. My my, I love events like that. Though we do once in a while eat together, breaking fast somehow made it all sweeter. :)

And so, last week was our Grand Break Fast for this year. Even my uncle from Kuantan is coming, and this time we're holding it in my first uncle's hse in KL. I really anticipated it, I miss my little cousins, my aunts, and the laughters that erupted whenever they start chatting. But my class ends at 6.30pm! Grr.. To get into KL at that hour will be a frustrating experience! I don't really mind the traffic if it was any other day but, on a fasting day? On the day I want to hear the Azan with family and rush out of fun to the dining table?

Lucky enough, class ended slightly earlier, around 6pm and I ran for my life to the parking space. I'd have driven like mad if it weren't for the traffic. How fast can you go when there are millions other cars on the road with you? Ok,I was exaggerating but still, I want to be there as fast as I can. I wanna help setting up the table with aunties. I wanna see the tired faces of my uncle. And most of all, I want to be there when the Azan starts. (Ok,for those who do not know, an azan i.e call for prayers at dusk marks the end of the fasting day).

Fortunately, I drove a Kelisa, a Malaysian version of Mr Bean's car and that made it easier for me to go between bigger cars. And when there was a police car, with sirens on forcing other drivers to give way for them, for a split second of my life I swear I had that terrible urge of following behind the police car so that I can be in the faster lane. But I didn't. I was afraid the police might scold me (hah, I can already imagine the police stopping me at the roadside and nag at me :p) or if the police suddenly brake, I'm sure I will bang their bumper. So, I decided to be that good driver, abiding the law of the road. :p

Bumble Bee run! Run! I need to reach my uncle's house asap!

At 7.00pm, I was still stucked in the traffic in Maluri Cheras. I really really wished my car can suddenly have wings, spread them out and fly me! Or even tranforming into a BumbleBee for 15mins is enough.

I called my mum to tell her I was still on the road, and I can hear my uncles' voices from the background, they were all asking which route did I take and where am I. Not only that, I even hear the screams and laughters of the little cousins, which made me feel awfully miserable in the car, alone.

And approximately 20 mins later, when I heard the azan from the radio in the car, I felt so sad that I almost cry. I was so disappointed, not only I can't break fast with the people I love, I don't even have any food to break fast with in the car. By then, the coast was already clear and I sped to the house. Lucky enough, my arrival was celebrated and it sort of compensated for the awfulness I felt. My uncle sang selawat as I walked into the house, and my mother gave me her glass of water to drink, aunties saying "Pity you, pity you...". (be assured, I did not really cry)

But of course, there's always the rainbow after a rain. The happiness of spending hours with family had successfully displace the sourness I felt in the car, just like aspirin displacing bilirubin from plasma protein. Oh crap, lame joke!

We are one BIG Happy Family
:)
♥

And yes, I really would like to break fast with all the people I love &hearts in this world, family or friends.
:)